"Guatemala is a good place to commit a murder, because you will almost certainly get away with it."

U.N. Official

I read this incredible piece in The New Yorker last night about the murder of Rodrigo Ronsenberg, a high-profile corporate attorney in Guatemala. This is truly stuff Grisham novels and movies starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd are made of. Equally as striking as the murder revelations are the rampant and pervasive corruption in Guatemalan society. Nearly every governing body has been infiltrated by powerful criminal organizations, culminating in impunity for the most horrific offenses. 

Definite read if you have time - it’s eye-opening and almost unbelievable. Excerpt below describing what happened at Rosenberg’s funeral. 

Then Luis Mendizábal had stood up and addressed the hundreds of mourners: “Everybody here loved Rodrigo Rosenberg, and all of you are wondering why someone like Rodrigo, who couldn’t hurt anyone, was killed.” He paused, then said, “Well, Rodrigo left me with the answer.” He explained that Rosenberg had given him a video, with instructions to release it only if he was murdered. Mendizábal offered a CD to anyone who was interested…

…Suddenly, Rodrigo Rosenberg was staring at them, sitting alone, with a microphone, in front of a spare table. He was dressed in a navy-blue suit, a starched white shirt, and a pale-blue tie—the kind of muted, formal ensemble that he had worn ever since his father had deserted the family, leaving him the head of the household. On his wedding finger was the ring that Marjorie had ordered for him.

“Good afternoon,” Rosenberg said. “My name is Rodrigo Rosenberg Marzano and, alas, if you are hearing or seeing this message it means that I’ve been murdered by President Álvaro Colom, with the help of Gustavo Alejos.”